


Hide and Seek

by PepperSpicedLatte



Category: Versailles (TV 2015)
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Forehead Kisses, M/M, Season 1, They love each other so much, cute shit, mentions of louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 21:12:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10648143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSpicedLatte/pseuds/PepperSpicedLatte
Summary: ‘’They don’t matter monsieur. The only opinion that matter’s is mine and I will never think that you are anything short of perfection. Who always comes to find you? Who always reminds you of your worth. Who always showers you with the love and affection you deserve?’’‘’You do.’’ Philippe hiccupped, though the smallest of smiles appeared on his lips. He turned to look at him, the Chevalier’s hair and face half aglow in the candles light.‘’That’s right. I do.’’





	Hide and Seek

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my first MonChevy fic. I hope I do them justice. This is set between 1x05 and 1x06.

Ever since he was a child, Philippe had always known the best places to hide. He was a master of it, being able to slip off without anyone noticing and fit himself into the tightest of spots and stay there for hours if he had too. Of course, it helped that he wasn’t payed that much attention anyway, especially when his brother was around and whilst he yearned for those he loved to look upon him more, he was grateful that he had gained the skill of being able to hide himself away. It was most fun when he and his brother had been young and had played games – those that encouraged the other to hide and wait to be found. Being small and slight, Philippe found he could get himself into the strangest of places and would do it in these games occasionally, to see if his brother would find him. 

In the beginning, he had remembered Louis searching for hours, calling out his name, frantic until someone else joined the search party and he had been forced out of his secret space. As the years went on and they grew older the searching became less frequent. If Philippe hid then Louis would get frustrated, angry and leave him too it. Sometimes the young prince didn’t mind that. Sometimes being alone was what he had wanted in the first place, but there were other times where he felt this great emptiness in him. That no one cared enough to come and find him. They didn’t care where he was or what he was doing as long as he didn’t get in the King’s way. 

From then on Philippe would use these spaces to get away, where they were either in the extensive gardens of the palace or in some far-off room indoors. Here he would sit or lay with several books or none at all, distracting himself or thinking through a situation. It helped for sure and it was something he would often do if he could feel his mood changing rapidly or he needed the solitude. All the time however he would wish deep down that someone cared enough to find him. That they were worried about his wellbeing, but as he got older this became less and less likely. He would test sometimes – as he had done when he was younger – how long he could stay hidden for. His impatience would often get in the way though and he would come out sooner than he wanted, but again it was like no one had noticed he had gone in the first place. 

There had been once or twice where he wanted to go to drastic measures. To leave in the dead of night and let his brother worry what had happened to him. Philippe would always conclude however that doing so would only anger him more and say that he was childish and irresponsible. If only Louis would understand what was going through his head. If only Louis would realise how his words and actions tore through Philippe and made it so much harder to love him. 

As he had entered adulthood the prince’s hiding spots had changed slightly to either his apartment or mingling with the crowds of the court. If he conversed with others, laughed and danced with them then maybe he could convince himself that they cared. It had even worked to a point, though he had soon realised that they loved him for being the King’s brother and not for being Philippe. 

That was of course until the Chevalier came along. He had fallen for the blonde man in an instant. The way he had looked at him creating butterflies in the prince’s stomach and making his heart beat faster than it ever had done before. In the right direction of sunlight his hair would shine like gold, his light blue eyes glinting like sapphires and Philippe would think him more beautiful by the second. Louis might be the sun of France, but Chevalier was the sun of Philippe. His lover, whilst being vain and sometimes brash would fuel the older man with never ending compliments and would most of the time put his needs before his own. Chevalier saw Philippe for who he really was and cherished it in a way no one else ever had done. He could say the simplest things to brighten up his mood and his presence certainly the thing the prince enjoyed most in the world. 

He never had to hide as much once the Chevalier was there, and if he did he knew he’d always find him. 

One place he had not hidden was on the battlefield. There Philippe had taken the lead and never once ran away from the fight. It had been his life’s dream to go into battle, to make his country proud. To make his brother proud. To show that he could do something and he could do it far better than anyone else. Out there he could be the hero he had always wanted to be and realise that he was worth so much more than he had been treated. It had been glorious. Winning. Killing. Being victorious and knowing that he had been the one to lead them to that. But in the depths of the night, when his mind tore open with nightmares and he was left sweating and shaking did he wonder that perhaps he shouldn’t have opened himself completely up to war. 

It was on one of those nights that he found himself hiding. Philippe had not yet retired to bed but had snuck out of the palace, away from the music, chatter and laughter to go somewhere quiet. He had not been able to concentrate all day, the thought of going to sleep and reliving what the battlefield had shown him something he did not want to do anytime soon. He would prolong sleep as much as he could. The noise in the palace had got too much, had defeated him like the chorus of canon blasts. He needed to breathe, to calm himself down and the only way he knew how to do that right now was to disappear for a while. 

One of his spots in the garden was surrounded with high bushes – a small lawn of grass almost enclosed and far enough away from the path so not to hear travelling voices. Here he could lay on the dewy grass and look up at the stars, arms behind his head as he stared up above him and let everything else trickle away. It was dark here, the stars the only light he could see but Philippe preferred that. He was completely alone and for once that suited him perfectly. 

Of course, it didn’t last long. Philippe didn’t notice the presence of anyone else until he heard the bushes rustling and the low string of curses emitting from the person’s mouth. If he had adverted his eyes from the sky he would have seen a dark head pop out to look around and maybe even heard the sigh of relief emitting from the other person. There was the sound of shoes on the wet grass and the flickering light of a candle in its holder but still Philippe did not look over at who had joined him. The person sat down on the grass, making a noise in disgust at the fact he could feel the damp through parts of his clothes but laid down none the less, across where the prince was laying. 

‘’Not the comfiest place for star gazing but it’ll do I suppose.’’ Chevalier’s soft drawl was heard and Philippe felt soft hands tugging at his shoulder’s gently, an action he silently communicated as resting his head on his lover’s stomach. 

The two were silent, looking up at the stars, the candles flame flickering in the light wind. There was no noise except the others’ breathing and Philippe almost felt content. It wasn’t long before he felt Chevalier’s hands on him again, this time running through his long hair, something that seemed to calm him slightly. 

‘’I didn’t expect you to find me here.’’ He finally said after what seemed like an age. His voice held no emotion, no indication of the inner turmoil that was going through his head. 

‘’I saw you leaving mignonette, I guessed you did not want to be disturbed but I couldn’t leave you to go into the darkness on your own.’’ His voice was gentle, sincere, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world that the Chevalier would not let his prince go off alone. 

Philippe didn’t say anything to that though a ghost of a smile traced his lips. Trust his sun to follow him to make sure he was alright. He was the only one who cared, but the prince wouldn’t have wanted it to be anyone else. Except perhaps his brother.

Silence fell again though it soon became clear that Chevalier wanted to say something, though apparently, he didn’t know what or how to say it. The older man didn’t speak, letting his lover form his words.

‘’I know you’ve been having nightmares…that you wake up shaking, your breathing heavy. I know you probably don’t want me to see so I pretend to be asleep. But my dear, I am worried.’’ There was a frown in his voice, one that held the worry he was talking about. ‘’What has got you so worked up that your nights are plagued with terror?’’ 

Philippe’s body tensed at the mere mention of his nightmares and he instantly closed himself up, not wanting to talk about them. Talking meant reliving. It meant opening up about his troubles, about the way he had felt after coming home from the war. It would mean he wasn’t the strong hero everyone saw him as. It meant he was weak, and he couldn’t be that. His breathing seemed to quicken and he closed his eyes for a moment, flashes of light and snippets of sound dancing before him. 

‘’It’s none of your concern.’’ His tone was hard, one he used when he didn’t want to talk about a matter any further. But with the Chevalier, he knew he’d push. 

‘’But it is my concern. You’ve not been yourself since you’ve come back from the battlefield. You’ve been distant, jumpy…’’ 

‘’I said it’s nothing!’’ Philippe sat up, strong emotions coursing through him though he wasn’t sure if it was anger or something else. Running his hands through his hair he tugged at it hard, wanting these thoughts, memories and emotions to disappear and never bother him again. 

Chevalier sat up with him, shushing him soothingly and moving so he was positioned directly behind him. Putting his hands on his shoulders, the blonde started to massage them to relieve all the tension that Philippe was holding. Kissing once, twice at his neck he kept on with the gentle touches, wanting to relax his love as best he could. 

‘’Darling listen to me. I do not know what you witnessed whilst you were away but I’m sure it wasn’t all happy and joyous. It’s okay to have negative reactions to what you have seen, what you have experienced, it happens to the best of people.’’

The prince shook his head, trying to pull away from the Chevalier’s touch but the other man wasn’t letting him go easily. He gave up quickly, his posture deflating and his hands starting to tremble. ‘’I…I can’t.’’ His words caught in the back of his throat making them come out in a quiet whisper. ‘’I will not be seen as weak.’’ 

There was a stunned silence as Chevalier’s hands stilled for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Philippe and held him close. ‘’Mignonette, you are far from weak. You are the strongest and bravest person I have ever known. You have pushed your way to the top. You have shone so brightly down on everything around you. You are a hero. You are my hero. If anyone calls you weak then they are a coward. They would never have the balls to do what you did and I will fight every person who thinks that way about you. Philippe my love, whatever is going on inside your head doesn’t make you weak. It shows that you have gone through hell to do the right thing.’’ 

He hadn’t known when he had started crying but large tears blurred his eyesight and ran down his cheeks as his body silently shook at Chevalier’s words. He could not begin to describe what was going on in his mind because he wasn’t sure himself. All he knew was that it was loud, sometimes deafening and it would not stop racing. It hurt and all he wanted to do was curl up and make it go away. 

They sat like that for a while, the two of them. Chevalier, curled up around Philippe as he held him close, soothing him. Later, he started whispering comments that had nothing to do with the subject in hopes to make him laugh, smile, or even just to take his mind off what he was thinking right now. He wasn’t sure what else he could do expect be there for him and show him that he cared and loved him. 

‘’If people knew…they’d think badly of me.’’ The prince whispered finally through his tears, leaning back into the other man’s body and trying to relax as best he could. 

‘’They don’t matter monsieur. The only opinion that matter’s is mine and I will never think that you are anything short of perfection. Who always comes to find you? Who always reminds you of your worth. Who always showers you with the love and affection you deserve?’’ 

‘’You do.’’ Philippe hiccuped, though the smallest of smiles appeared on his lips. He turned to look at him, the Chevalier’s hair and face half aglow in the candles light. 

‘’That’s right. I do.’’ He tapped him on the nose affectionately before caressing both his cheeks and wiping away the tears that glistened down his face. Once he had done that, Chevalier stared into his eyes for a few moments before kissing the top of his head. ‘’You don’t have to hide from me remember? Come on, let’s go back inside. I’ll get them to run you a bath and then we can cuddle up in bed, how does that sound?’’

Philippe hesitated because the thought of going back to the palace was daunting. Inside he would have to pretend everything was alright. He would have to deal with people being loud and the impending thoughts that he would have to sleep at some point. He wasn’t sure if he was up for that yet, though he knew he couldn’t stay out here all night. 

‘’What if I have another nightmare tonight?’’ He asked, sounding almost like a child, his words laced with a fear he did not want there. 

‘’Then I will hold you until it’s over and we’ll get through it together.’’ Came the Chevalier’s response. ‘’I will fight all your demons away with my extreme good looks and impeccable charm.’’ He wiggled his eyebrows, his heart souring when he heard Philippe breathe out a laugh. 

Giving him another kiss to the forehead he got up, picking up the candle and holding his hand out for Philippe to take. When the prince took his and stood himself up, Chevalier led him quietly back to the palace, prepared to pamper him as much as he needed. 

As Philippe followed his mind wandered to how he had become so lucky to have someone like his Chevalier. If one thing was for certain, he knew that no matter how many times he hid from the world, his sun would never be far behind to find him.


End file.
